Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Need help finding VCT Solenoid Valve

Having some emissions test issues with my 1998 Contour with Zetec 4 cyl engine. My code reader is showing P1380 VCT Solenoid Valve Circuit Short or Open and P1381 Cam Timing Advance is excessive. I'd like to start by checking the connections to the VCT solenoid but it is not shown in my Chilton's guide. If somebody could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Also would like to know how hard it is to replace.

Look on top of your valve cover, it's that black thing on the left side (from front of car) with the wires coming out of it. One thing I have noticed is that the VCT equipped cars don't like oil weights other than 5w-30 (for the most part). Not sure how hard it is to replace,etc... I was blessed with EGR.

i can tell you one thing it cost about 500.00 to repair.
it is not the electrical end of it most the time it is the metal part of the solenoid that goes bad. it is hard to change since your cam has to come out tp replace it. if you let it go your car will eventually die and you will put fuel in your oil. but for the most part it needs to be replaced wether it dies or not. if i remember right the part is like 300.00 alone. and you can only get it from the dealer. i sent ford a email on this and talked to them on the phone to try to get a possible recall on this part. i only had 66000 miles on my 98 before it went. but some persons on here thought just because i had my cel on for a year that it was somehow my fault it went bad. but the reality of it is it went bad when the CEL came on. and the dealer told me there was nothing they could do untill the car died. the light does not come on when things are in good shape it comes on when computer readings are out of range. so if you give a damn email ford and tell them. you may save someone alot of money in repair bills later. i say theres a defect with this part. good luck let me know how it turned out for you. oh yeah when it fails you will need new plugs also because the get soaked in oil. my total bill was 613.00

I have a VCT Solenoid Valve to sell - brand new and in a factory sealed bag - repairing dealer said it was bad. Really it was the 'tech' reading the fault codes when I had the new timing belt installed with the valve timing wrong. The part cost me $255, and I don't need now!